Meeting between the Rosselkhoznadzor and Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives of the Kingdom of Thailand
The meeting was held at the initiative of the Thai party in Moscow ahead of the official visit of Prayuth Chan-Ocha, Prime Minister of Thailand to Russia. At the meeting the Russian party was represented by Vasiliy Lavrovsky, Assistant to the Rosselkhoznadzor Head, and the Thai party was represented by Ayuth Harintharanon, Chief Veterinary Officer, Director General of the Department of Livestock Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives of the Kingdom of Thailand, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to Rosselkhoznadzor.
The parties have noted that the Russia and Thailand have a long history for cooperation and it is actively developing in various fields including join projects in agriculture field and mutual trade in animal and plant products. Close contacts between the Rosselkhoznadzor and Supervisory Services within the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives of the Kingdom of Thailand greatly contribute to promotion of potential bilateral export-import.
In the framework of the visit programme agreed by the Rosselkhoznadzor the Thai delegation has already visited the FGBI “Federal Centre for Animal Health”. The visitors acknowledged the high-level research performed in the Centre subordinated to the Rosselkhoznadzor and recognized as the Reference Centre for transboundary animal and avian disease control by such international organizations as the FAO/OIE and noted that products developed by the Centre researchers are in demand both in the Russian Federation and many countries in the world. The parties agreed to sign the Protocol on scientific and technical cooperation in the nearest future to coordinate efforts in ensuring epidemic freedom in both countries. The Protocol implies constant exchange of technologies, knowledge and experience in prevention and control of highly dangerous animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease and avian influenza and joint training programme development.
Then, the Thai delegation will visit St. Petersburg where it will get acquainted with the Rosselkhoznadzor Territorial Administration for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Oblast activities to ensure regulated product safety including border inspection posts and temporary storage warehouses.
During the negotiations the Rosselkhoznadzor officials have drawn the Thai colleagues’ attention to the fact that Russian animal product producers are highly interested in export of various animal products to Thailand. It has been emphasized that the Russian Veterinary Services are capable of ensuring safety of supplied products and their compliance with Thailand veterinary and sanitary requirements. Mr. Ayuth Harintharanon has assured that the Thai Service will give priority consideration to the Rosselkhoznadzor’s answers to the questionnaires on current safety and veterinary control system in pork, pork offal and other animal product industry in the Russian Federation in order to proceed to the next stage of risk assessment – inspection of the Service divisions and interested exporting establishments.
Mr. Ayuth Harintharanon thanked the Rosselkhoznadzor for previous authorization of Thai establishments located in highly dangerous animal disease-free region in the east Thailand for export of their porcine products to Russia and assured the Rosselkhoznadzor that the same regionalization principles would be applied for authorization of Russian animal products for export to Thailand in order to promote mutual trade. Ensuring the traceability of the products exported from Russia to Thailand will be decisive aspect in this process. Thai well-developed animal production industry is particularly interested in supplies of Russian feed and feed additives. Considering the fact that Thai businessmen from various economic sectors actively invest in the Russian agro-industrial sector and food industry the Head of Thai Veterinary Services asked the Rosselkhoznadzor to consider the possibility of breeding material import from Thailand to the Russian commercial pig establishment with Thai participation.
Finally, the Parties agreed to continue discussion of the above-mentioned aspects within the 84th OIE General Session to be held in Paris in May 2016.